May 31, 2008

Everyone is worried about the cost of commuting, powering our homes, even producing our food, as fuel prices skyrocket.   A tempting path is to trim gas taxes for short-term relief, cut strategic reserves, or find other ways to cut prices without addressing the true costs of fossil fuels.

There’s a smarter alternative.  It’s time to use an unlimited resource to meet more of our needs:  people power.   Hudson Valley communities can spend less on energy, and improve quality of life, if they tap the opportunities to cut waste and rediscover human-powered alternatives to fossil fuels.    Join us as we save fuel by getting a grip on waste and, in the process, make life more interesting this summer.

Create bike-friendly communities – and enjoy them!  The League of American Bicyclists (www.bikeleague.org) has every resource you can possibly need, from case studies on creating bike-friendly communities, to a “how to overcome excuses and bike to work” tip sheet.

Citizen creativity is already in play.  From New Paltz comes this campaign (which any community could imitate): Ride To Eat/Eat To Ride.   From May 25 – 31 seventeen New Paltz area restaurants have been offering discounts and other incentives to customers who arrive by bicycle, to encourage this form of sustainable transportation.  They are:   Karma Road, The Bakery, Yanni, Bacchus, Gadaleto’s Seafood Restaurant, The Gold Fox (in Gardiner), Harvest Café, Hokkaido, Lemon Grass, Locust Tree, The Main Street Bistro, New Paltz Public House, The Plaza Diner, Rino’s Pizza, Steve’s Deli, Suruchi Indian Restaurant, and Sweet’s.  For the latest up-to-date listing, go to www.newpaltz.org/bikemonthfood.html.  Ride To Eat/Eat To Ride is a part of the New Paltz Bicycle Pedestrian Committee's National Bicycle Month celebration.

Carpool, vanpool, combine trips, get out of the car!!!!  See www.metropool.com for help.   

Stop engine idling.  In some parts of Europe, idling over 15 seconds is illegal. Ask friendly businesses to put reminders near entrance or cash register.   

Buy local, buy in bulk, swap and reuse –  commit yourself to a lifestyle of “more fun, less stuff” – see the website of the Center for a New American Dream for tips and resources (www.newdream.org).

Join with friends to reduce your environmental footprint systematically using The Low Carbon Diet: A Thirty Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds, available from The Empowerment Institute (www.empowermentinstitut.net)  and supported by Sustainable Hudson Valley.

Please spread these ideas widely.  This invitation is brought to you by the members and friends of Sustainable Hudson Valley (www.sustainhv.org).  Local actions and results will be posted on www.sustainhv.org.